All Jacked Up (Rough Riders #8)(25)

His lips lifted. “Wrong. This round goes to me. My favorite food is homemade meatloaf. Followed closely by mashed potatoes and gravy. Followed closely by corn on the cob.”


“Holy crap. That’s so…Midwestern of you, GQ.”


“Surprised?”


“Very.” Down home cooking appealed to Jack more than haute cuisine? Man. He’d surprised her like four times today. “Your turn to guess. What’s my favorite movie?”


“Easy. The Princess Bride.” He grinned. “What’s mine?”


“The Jerk,” she shot back.


Jack laughed. A deep, rumbly, sexy sound and she caught herself wanting to smile and sigh at the same time.


“Try again.”


“Jackass?” she tossed out.


More laughter.


“Okay. I give.”


“True Lies, ” he said.


“That seems appropriate.”


Silence.


Keely fiddled with the straw, rolling it back and forth in the condensation.


Jack snatched her hand, stopping the fidgety movement.


Talk about big hands. Not soft, girly hands either, but rough. Manly. His fingers were long and thick, sprinkled with just enough dark hair to be masculine, not apelike. God. It’d been forever since she’d had a real man’s hands stroking her bare skin. Would Jack be gentle? Teasing? Or forceful?


“Keely?”


She shifted her gaze up. The curiosity or guilt he saw in her eyes caused a spark of heat to flare in his.


Jack stretched across the table until their mouths were a kiss apart. “We’re f*cking kidding ourselves that we can keep this platonic for much longer.”


The growly timbre of his voice destroyed any smartass comment she might’ve conjured. She wanted to hear that growling noise against her throat, in her ear, on her belly, on the insides of her thighs.


“Don’t look at me like that,” she breathed.


“Like what?”


“Like you want to—”


“Isn’t this sweet, you two lovebirds holding hands and whispering naughty nothings to each other.”


Keely looked up at India with murder in her eyes.


Jack recovered quickly. “India. Nice to see you looking so…round. Congratulations.”


“Oh, bite me, Donohue. Babies rock but pregnancy sucks.” India cocked her hip against the side of the booth. “Since you’re gonna be part of the family now, I expect my rent won’t go up. Ever. Especially in light of the fact you withheld the information about being our landlord.”


Jack muttered something about false expectations.


Now this was better. Watching Jack get raked over the coals for a change.


“How are the engagement party preparations going?”


Talk about a short attention span. “Mom is doing everything. Jack’s mother is coming Friday to help.


We’re staying out of the way.”


“So how is it that you guys ended up together?” India asked.


Keely changed the subject. “You feeling okay?”


“Fine and f*cking dandy. Fat as a frog. You’ve gotten worse at deflection, by the way, so suck it up and answer my question.”


“Pregnancy has made you mean.”


“Meaner. Start talking about how this love match came about.”


“We’re blaming you and Colt.”


Jack went board stiff across from her.


“What did we have to do with it?” India demanded.


“Your wedding reception was the first time Jack and I acted on our attraction to each other, wasn’t it, darlin’?”


He nodded and kissed her hand.


“Once we started working together…it was pointless to resist.”


“It was destiny,” Jack murmured.


“This sappy crap is making me want to barf,” India said.


The waitress dropped off their food. “India, your order is done. I’ll get it and meet you at the register.”


“Thanks.”


“Is it your night to cook?” Keely asked innocently.


“Ooh, you’re as funny as my husband. I’m starved all the freakin’ time.” She shouted, “Hey, Bea, throw in like a dozen cookies too, willya?”


With that India waddled away.


“Pregnant women are so easily distracted by food.”


Jack frowned at her. “Is there any place we can go in this town without running into one of your relatives?”


“Nope.” Keely released his hand and reached for her steak knife, half-resentful, half-glad India had ruined the moment.


Jack wasn’t surprised they finished the meal in near silence. In near record time too.


He paid the check and Keely headed upstairs to the apartment. The thought of watching her sexy ass shake as those long legs climbed the stairs made his dick hard.


Damn her relatives. She’d almost admitted she wanted him as much as he wanted her. He was to the f*ck it point—he was f*cked if he did and f*cked if he didn’t f*ck her. Might as well grab some smokin’ hot sex while he could get it.